EU Funding
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for Energy is an EU funding programme which implements the Trans-European Networks for Energy policy.
Acorn was designated as a European Project of Common Interest (PCI) in 2019 and has benefited from two rounds of EU CEF funding under two separate Actions which are summarised here.
-
Action 12.2-0020-UKBE-S-M-20 (Ongoing)
As PCI 12.2 CO2 Sapling, Acorn set out to establish a strategic transnational CO2 transportation infrastructure capable of delivering over 12 Mt CO2/year from emissions sources around the North Sea for permanent sequestration in offshore geological storage. PCI 12.2 is the transportation infrastructure component of the Acorn full chain Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project.
The main objective of the Action 12.2-0020-UKBE-S-M-20 was to progress the CO2 import/export facilities and infrastructure between the Port of Peterhead and the Acorn CCS hub at St Fergus in the UK. The Action entailed six Activities which ran from 2020 to 2024, building on previous CEF- funded Action 12.2-0036-UKNL-S-M-18 and representing the next step in PCI implementation.
- Activity 1 – Engineering Design of CO2 Transport infrastructure
- Activity 2 - Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) including Consenting
- Activity 3 - Technical Integration
- Activity 4 - Commercial & Regulatory Requirements and CBA
- Activity 5 - Operator Support and subsea activity for Inline Pipeline Survey
- Activity 6 - Action Management
Pre-project engineering studies concluded that, following detailed inspection, the existing tanker jetty infrastructure could be repurposed to support CO2 imports at Peterhead Port. Engineering and HSE studies assessed the installation of new intermediate storage and export facilities at the Port. The Action included technical integration of the port infrastructure with the wider Acorn Transportation & Storage network, assessing the required downstream pipeline and well infrastructure requirements, and considering operability requirements. Commercial and regulatory work under the Action supported Acorn's contribution to development of UK and cross-border non-pipeline transportation policy, while also allowing Acorn to secure land agreements in support of the development.
Work on this Action continues and, once complete will result in a significant proportion of the technical studies finalised in view of reaching a Final Investment Decision (FID) for the CO2 import/export facilities and infrastructure between the Port of Peterhead and St Fergus Gas Terminal.
This Action is co-funded by the Acorn Development Participants.
-
12.2-0036-UKNL-S-M-18 (Completed)
The scope of the CEF Action 12.2-0036-UKNL-S-M-18, which ran from 2019 to 2022, addressed the requirements of the existing and proposed CO2 transport infrastructure linked to the Acorn carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, including the transnational build-out programme.
The Action involves Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies of the CO2 transport infrastructure for the Acorn CCS Phase 1 project and an internal inspection survey of the Goldeneye pipeline (a former natural gas pipeline between St Fergus gas terminal in the UK and the Acorn CO2 storage license area in the North Sea). The Action also includes linked studies into the feasibility of CO2 import/export at Peterhead Port and optioneering for a UK-Norway interconnector pipeline. The Action supports health, safety and environmental (HSE) aspects for this infrastructure. The Action has four main activities:
- Activity 1 – Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies for the offshore pipeline system and its inspection
- Activity 2 – Study on the CO2 import/export facilities at North Sea Ports
- Activity 3 – Health, Safety and Environment studies, to support the above activities
- Activity 4 – Management of the Action
The Action has allowed the design of the Goldeneye pipeline, associated subsea elements of the cost base of the PCI, and the business model to progress further in definition and maturity towards a Final Investment Decision. This decision also depends on a similar level of definition and maturity being achieved for the CO2 capture, geological storage and well drilling, which is why the Action was being managed as part of an integrated programme with funding from the UK CCUS Innovation Fund. The Action also enabled knowledge sharing between other European CO2 transport projects.
This Action was co-funded by the Acorn Development Participants.
Aspects of the Acorn Project are co-funded by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union. Any views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
National Competent Authority (NCA)
Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) are EU-backed, cross-border energy infrastructure projects with non-EU countries, supported by National Competent Authorities (NCAs) for faster permitting, aiming to boost EU climate/energy goals through enhanced security, market integration, and renewable energy, with examples like electricity interconnectors or hydrogen networks designated under the TEN-E Regulation. NCAs coordinate these large-scale initiatives, which offer benefits like expedited approval, increased funding access (CEF), and streamlined processes, as these are crucial for connecting Europe's energy systems. For the UK, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero acts as the NCA.